BOULDER — Colorado State green and gold and Nebraska red and white represent repugnance for the Colorado Buffaloes before they open Pac-12 Conference play Sept. 28 against UCLA.

Sure, the Buffs can’t afford to look past New Hampshire in their Sept. 15 home opener, but the first two nonconference games are rivalries as big as one any they’ll face in the Pac 12.

CU opens the season Aug. 31 in the Rocky Mountain Showdown against CSU in Denver before renewing its rivalry with Nebraska on Sept. 8 in Lincoln — marking the first game between the Buffs and Cornhuskers since 2010, before both departed the Big-12 for the Pac-12 and Big Ten.

“Pretty fun — you show up the first two weeks and here you go,” CU coach Mike MacIntyre said. “There’s no tip-toeing into anything. You have to be ready to play.”

A year ago, CU defeated CSU 17-3 in its opener for in Denver before the Buffs, as expected, pounded Texas State and Northern Colorado in Boulder. This year, the start of CU’s season is twice as intriguing.

“Yeah, we open with two rivalry games,” MacIntyre said. “We’re not thinking about that right now as we’re out there practicing, but that is something our kids hear about every day. They have. I mean, I hear about it if I go to Sweet Cow and get an ice cream.

“Playing CSU, which is a great game, a great rivalry and they have a really good football team — and you know they have a game before us, which gives them an advantage. And then we go to Nebraska the next week. So everybody is talking about it. But we’re taking one practice at at time, honesty. I know that’s coach cliche but we have to. But, our kids, we have to be prepared for that. it’s going to be an emotional week after an emotional week. And how we handle that emotional-wise is going to be key to all of that. They are excited about playing the games. I can’t tell you they’re not. I’m excited about coaching in them. Our fans are excited about watching them.”

CSU opens at home Aug. 25 against Hawaii. Nebraska kicks off the season with three consecutive non-conference home games, beginning Sept. 1 against Akron.

The second game of a four-year agreement between CU and NU will unfold in Boulder on Sept. 7, 2019, and Colorado also will host the Cornhuskers on Sept. 9, 2023. The Buffs return to Nebraska on Sept. 7, 2024.

Like the old days in the Big 12, the color red is still highly discouraged around CU’s football facilities, now the Champions Center — the newer building attached to the Dal Ward Center.

“It’s kind of known,” MacIntyre said of not donning anything red. “I haven’t had to really say a word about that. I guess it’s just built in the Dal Ward walls and it’s connected so I think it’s passed over.”

Many CU players weren’t even teenagers the last time the Buffs and Huskers met — a 45-17 Nebraska victory in Lincoln on Nov. 26, 2010. CU quarterback Steven Montez is excited about the big upcoming nonconference games but said there is too much work to get done before the opener.

“To be honest, right now we’re really just focused on fall camp. We’re not really looking ahead down the line,” Montez said. “We want to just get right, focus on what we’re doing. We don’t really need to focus on that right now. We’ll focus on them the week of the game. After we play CSU, the slate will be clean and then we’ll worry about Nebraska.”

He added: “Fans — back in the day the fans didn’t really like Nebraska too much. But that was when Colorado was in the same conference as them. It’s a little different now. I’m sure the fans still hate Nebraska. I’ve heard a little bit but not too much.”

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